11 May 2021
South Sudan: The names of the 550 members of the new parliament have been announced yesterday (Monday) night. According to the 2018 peace agreement, 332 are from President Kiir’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), 128 from Mr Machar's Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), 50 from South Sudan’s Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and 30 from Other Political Parties (OPP) and 10 from the Former Detainees (FDs). 35% of the seats must be occupied by women.
BBC Africa Live 11 May 2021. 5:53
Nigeria/Boko Haram: The G7 have pledged 389 million USD in humanitarian aid for the victims of Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria. The conflict “has killed more than 30,000 people and uprooted millions”.
BBC Africa Live 11 May 2021. 8:40
Mozambique: According to an agreement signed in Lisbon by the two countries’ defence ministers yesterday (Monday), Portugal will “train Mozambican soldiers, share intelligence and help the country use drones to track the militants’ movements.” 80 Portuguese soldiers will be responsible for the training. On top of that, the EU “could also send between 200 and 300 soldiers to Mozambique on a training mission” – BBC does not specify what the “could” implies.
BBC Africa Live 11 May 2021. 10:59
10 May 2021
Kenya: According to research by Christian Aid, climate change could reduce Kenya’s tea production by up to a quarter. The taste and the smell of the tea could also be affected. India, Sri Lanka and China would also be affected.
BBC Africa Live 10 May 2021. 6:53
Algeria: Weekly protests cause nuisance to the wider population and will be barred from now on unless they have prior approval. “(O)rganisers must now provide their personal details as well as the march's itinerary, slogans and timings.”
BBC Africa Live 10 May 2021. 5:10
“Take care of the neck, necklaces are not difficult to find”
BBC Africa Live’s African proverb of the day, 10 May 2021. A Bemba proverb sent by Delphine Kabanga in Chingola, Zambia.
Kenya/Nairobi: In colonial times, Africans could only live in the city as registered labourers and they were forced to live in dormitory-like working quarters. Those who entered Nairobi illegally could only construct shanties (crudely built shacks) on unused land. And these shanty towns were from time to time destroyed and the occupants forced back to their rural homes. This changed with independence in 1963 and the population of Nairobi grew from 342,000 to 827,000 within 16 years. Nowadays, over 70% of the population are estimated to live in informal settlements. Before the background of their genesis and development, the article looks at the naming of three of the city’s largest ghettos: Kibera, Mathare and Mukuru.
https://theconversation.com/the-fascinating-history-of-how-residents-named-their-informal-settlements-in-nairobi-159080
South Africa/Jazz: Flutist, saxophonist, composer and teacher Zim Ngqawana died on 10th of May 2011, exactly 10 years ago, aged only 51. It was him who had been chosen to present music at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994. He had toured the world with his band Ingoma and had amongst many others worked with Wynton Marsalis, Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela. Time to remember…
https://theconversation.com/remembering-zim-ngqawana-10-years-on-a-singular-force-in-south-african-music-160570
Mozambique: According to the government, 2019 figures show that 4 out of 10 girls got married before the age of 18 – and that percentage is thought to have increased during the pandemic. According to the authorities, “stronger policies to protect girls” are needed.
BBC Africa Live 10 May 2021. 14:25
Botswana/Zambia: The 1 km-long Kazungula road and rail bridge should make trade a lot easier between the two countries. The more than 250m USD that it cost were financed by the African Development Bank and a loan from the Japanese government.
BBC Africa Live 10 May 2021. 15:40